ALTERNATION OF GENERATIONS

also called Metagenesis, or Heterogenesis, in biology, the alternation of a sexual phase and an asexual phase in the life cycle of an organism. The two phases, or generations, are often morphologically, and sometimes chromosomally, distinct. In algae, fungi, mosses, ferns, and seed plants, alternation of generations is common; it is not always easy to observe, however, since one or the other of the generations is often very small, even microscopic. The sexual phase, called the gametophyte, produces gametes, or sex cells; the asexual phase, or sporophyte, produces spores asexually. In terms of chromosomes, the gametophyte has a single (i.e., monoploid, or haploid) set, and the sporophyte has a double (diploid) set. Among animals, many invertebrates have an alternation of sexual and asexual generations (e.g., protozoans, jellyfish, flatworms), but the alternation of haploid and diploid generations is unknown.